Alien TV Series From Noah Hawley and Ridley Scott CONFIRMED

[SiL]

I believe Baron and Kimarhi are over the target here.

We need to remember in regards to the current slate of projects, Disney sent over Alan Horn and Alan Bergman to 20th Century to "work" with Emma Watts and help her retool, cut most of the projects in development and reportedly streamline to 10 releases per year, half or more going to Hulu or Disney+. Now maybe this micromanaging hasn't/won't continue with Watts out, maybe it will, but that action most certainly affected these current projects which were further delayed by covid.

That is not micromanaging - it's almost the opposite, in that it's actually quite a broad view of the productions as a whole and their desirability. Those retoolings happen every time there's a change in leadership and happened multiple times at Fox whenever someone new took over as head of production.

I'm looking for examples of someone from Disney interfering with individual productions in the subsidiaries, which seems to be the concern. Where script notes and feedback from executives puts direct pressure on the creative team to make changes, like we saw during Alien 3, or AvPR.

[Local Trouble]

I can't believe SM is missing out on such a great thread.

[SiL]

I have confirmation he's alive at least, but it will feels empty without him

[Baron Von Marlon]

I'm really trying to find instances of Disney interfering with a production of a subsidiary directly and I'm coming up with blanks.

They sometimes change the leadership structure of the subsidiary, as any parent company does  but I'm struggling to find someone from Disney rocking up on a Marvel production and overruling the creative team. Or even having script notes. Or anything like that

Are any of these fears actually substantiated by something or do people just see Disney owns these companies and freak out? It's starting to sound like a conspiracy theory.

Not sure if these count:
-in Dr. Strange, a Tibetan male monk character got turned into a Celtic female, I think sorceress or something.
As not to insult China (which doesn't like Tibet) and lose their profits.

-The male Deadpool writers, who delivered quality movies so far, have been replaced by women.
Reason? I don't know.

-On the upcoming Blade:
"Marvel has spent the last six months meeting with writers in what was described as a meticulous search with which Ali was directly involved. Only Black writers were seriously considered, a reflection of Marvel's focus on diversity and making representation a key factor."

[Voodoo Magic]

I believe Baron and Kimarhi are over the target here.

We need to remember in regards to the current slate of projects, Disney sent over Alan Horn and Alan Bergman to 20th Century to "work" with Emma Watts and help her retool, cut most of the projects in development and reportedly streamline to 10 releases per year, half or more going to Hulu or Disney+. Now maybe this micromanaging hasn't/won't continue with Watts out, maybe it will, but that action most certainly affected these current projects which were further delayed by covid.

That is not micromanaging - it's almost the opposite, in that it's actually quite a broad view of the productions as a whole and their desirability. Those retoolings happen every time there's a change in leadership and happened multiple times at Fox whenever someone new took over as head of production.

I'm looking for examples of someone from Disney interfering with individual productions in the subsidiaries, which seems to be the concern. Where script notes and feedback from executives puts direct pressure on the creative team to make changes, like we saw during Alien 3, or AvPR.

No, this is not micromanaging: \/

Disney buys a company and puts people they trust in charge to keep the company running smoothly. Kathleen Kennedy is in charge of Lucasfilm. Kevin Feige heads Marvel studios.

Disney checks the books and make sure everything's popular and profitable and that's about it. It's unclear who pulled the plug on the one-shot movies after Solo underperformed, but that's green lighting productions, not creative meddling.

They're still distinct companies with their own internal leadership and creative directors.

Now neither of us were there, but both Horn & Bergman are big wigs from Disney and they and their staffs most certainly went through every 20th Century script in development creatively (Alan Horn - Chief Creative Officer), not just financially (Alan Bergman - Chief Financial Officer) and had creative choices changed, killed or greenlit accordingly. That's Disney coming in and micromanaging, regardless of the why. Are they still doing it, who knows. But what we're going to get is the near future would fall under that Disney micromanagement.

[SiL]

Neither of us were there, but you know they went through every script and provided changes to those they still approved?

Again this has all the language of conspiracy. I'm just looking for anything concrete

Not sure if these count:
-in Dr. Strange, a Tibetan male monk character got turned into a Celtic female, I think sorceress or something.
As not to insult China (which doesn't like Tibet) and lose their profits.

The other two you mention are Marvel decisions. This is one I can't find where the directive came from exactly, so maybe?

[Nightmare Asylum]

According to this interview with Doctor Strange writer C. Robert Cargill, it was director Scott Derrickson's call to go with a white woman in the role of the Ancient One (eventually setting on Tilda Swinton):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEpbUf8dGq0&t=1074s

[Voodoo Magic]

Neither of us were there, but you know they went through every script and provided changes to those they still approved?

Again this has all the language of conspiracy. I'm just looking for anything concrete

Come on SiL, it was reported in the trades that both Alans from Disney worked, cut, streamlined with Emma Watts and went through all her projects in development at 20th Century Studios. Do you think the projects that resulted, came from playing Eeny, meeny, miny, moe? Did they bring Disney's Chief Creative Officer to serve coffee? 

[SiL]

According to this interview with Doctor Strange writer C. Robert Cargill, it was director Scott Derrickson's call to go with a white woman in the role of the Ancient One (eventually setting on Tilda Swinton):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEpbUf8dGq0&t=1074s

Thank you!

Neither of us were there, but you know they went through every script and provided changes to those they still approved?

Again this has all the language of conspiracy. I'm just looking for anything concrete

Come on SiL, it was reported in the trades that both Alans from Disney worked, cut, streamlined with Emma Watts and went through all her projects in development at 20th Century Studios. Do you think the projects that resulted, came from playing Eeny, meeny, miny, moe? Did they bring Disney's Chief Creative Officer to serve coffee? 

Since the projects were already on the slate, there wouldn't have been a need to go through every script line by line (something they wouldn't have time for, anyway) - there would have been breakdowns and market research performed that would give them an idea of what projects were on-brand and which weren't.

Chief Creative Officers provide guidance. While they can micromanage, it's not an inherent part of the job description.

Again, just looking for something more substantial.

[Voodoo Magic]

Disney sent in both Alans to go through the whole 20th slate. To think they sat around the table and just had straight thumbs-up / thumbs-down votes and didn't delve-into these projects with their staffs and call for changes where needed I think is very far fetched personally. Alas, going in and cutting approved projects (perhaps even cutting the continuation of David's story) or re-organizing projects for streaming, can already qualify as the "Disney meddling" fans had fear about.



In regards to someone being fired and the decision coming from above a Kathleen Kennedy or Kevin Feige i.e. Disney, often that logically won't come out, unless Disney feels they have to make a statement, and someone's furious as much as confident in their position, like Kevin was when Alan Horn had James Gunn fired. A less scandalous situation and a lesser track record / less clout chief working underneath, it will always be a vague firing to us "over creative differences". Airing all your fights with Disney pubically in the press would be career suicide I think in more often then not. Gotta take the heat yourself in most cases and tow the company line.

[SiL]

To think they sat around the table and just had straight thumbs-up / thumbs-down votes and didn't delve-into these projects with their staffs and call for changes where needed I think is very far fetched personally.

Please don't mischaracterise my posts like that. I never suggested anything as flippant as you're suggesting.

there would have been breakdowns and market research performed that would give them an idea of what projects were on-brand and which weren't.

These things would still need to be assessed and analysed and taken into consideration. It would not just be "thumbs-up / thumbs-down votes" with no thought.

I'm specifically unsure of the claim that the teams went through every word of every script and provided specific advice on individual projects that went against the company's own creative team to bring things into line.

Alas, going in and cutting approved projects (perhaps even cutting the continuation of David's story) or re-organizing projects for streaming, can already qualify as the "Disney meddling" fans had fear about.

But this is clearly not the meddling people are worried about that I'm trying to find evidence of. Rearranging slates is not the same as members of Disney's team providing specific creative feedback to individual subsidiary productions that influence the direction of those movies. This is clearly the concern people are raising -- that Alien and Predator will be "Disneyfied".

Also note I've never said it's impossible. I'm just saying I haven't been able to find any direct evidence of it actually occurring, despite so many people seeming to take it as a given. We've already seen in this thread that many decisions which were internal in subsidiaries are often misattributed to Disney.

[Baron Von Marlon]

The other two you mention are Marvel decisions. This is one I can't find where the directive came from exactly, so maybe?

Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I just can't believe these decisions didn't came from the top, or at least didn't got the approval from them.

According to this interview with Doctor Strange writer C. Robert Cargill, it was director Scott Derrickson's call to go with a white woman in the role of the Ancient One (eventually setting on Tilda Swinton):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEpbUf8dGq0&t=1074s

Does the video mentions the why?
Because I find it hard to believe this didn't came from the top in order to please China and thus secure more profits.
And should it be the case, do you think anyone is gonna admit it?

There's a similar case with Paramount's Top Gun sequel where they changed flags on Tom Cruise's jacket, for the same reasons.

[SiL]

Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I just can't believe these decisions didn't came from the top, or at least didn't got the approval from them.

You can't believe that anyone other than Disney is interested in diverse hiring or what?

[The_Nostromo_Files]

One man's "awkward" is another man's "re-imagining"...

[Voodoo Magic]

To think they sat around the table and just had straight thumbs-up / thumbs-down votes and didn't delve-into these projects with their staffs and call for changes where needed I think is very far fetched personally.

Please don't mischaracterise my posts like that. I never suggested anything as flippant as you're suggesting.

there would have been breakdowns and market research performed that would give them an idea of what projects were on-brand and which weren't.

These things would still need to be assessed and analysed and taken into consideration. It would not just be "thumbs-up / thumbs-down votes" with no thought.

I'm specifically unsure of the claim that the teams went through every word of every script and provided specific advice on individual projects that went against the company's own creative team to bring things into line.

I was responding to "Since the projects were already on the slate, there wouldn't have been a need to go through every script line by line (something they wouldn't have time for, anyway)"

This a theory of yours I don't subscribe to. If you have hundreds of millions on the line with 20 projects in development, all 20 get read. This is a CCO and a CFO, top of the food chain, with armies for staff and departments just dedicated to quality control and proof reading. I think it's personally naive that Alan would take the reigns from Watts and cut, greenlight, and repurpose projects for streaming without full reviews, script readings & subsequent notes from his staff. You're going to trust the previous market research when you're about to overhaul and/or kill the projects already greenlit? Of course not. Disney had their hands on everything coming soon and for better or worse, we'll have to see what this Disney (at least temporary) micromanagement at 20th Century Studios has produced. Maybe it will be for the better. Maybe it will be for the worse. Only time will tell.